1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to beverage apparatus and, more particularly, to infusers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are many beverage infusers on the market. Among these are some which use bags to contain a dry beverage substance, such as ground coffee ( an example of which is the Epicure Shop coffee bags) or the common tea bags containing tea leaves.
It is known that better brewing is achieved if water moves through the infuser during the brewing process. This is most simply accomplished, for example, by manually dipping the tea bags. Other infusers provide motion to the brewing process by stirring. To this end, many infusers are generally spoon-shaped and comprise a perforated container to hold the substance and a handle for stirring the beverage. Among these are U.S. Pat. Nos. Re 21,338 to Haut; 3,154,418 to Lovell et al; 3,354,812 to Gorton, Jr.; and 4,338,338 to Popkes.
Dodd, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,628) and Fritsche (U.S. Pat. No. 2,133,166) disclose infusion and stirring devices which include porous bags held inside a handle. The handle acts as an exterior framework to hold the bag for stirring purposes.
As water moves through the infusers, or as water boils, gases are produced which cause the beverage bags to float on the top of the water and expose less of the beverage substance to the action of the water. This can be overcome by the user constantly stirring the device, or by providing gas escape means, such as provided in the baffles and handle of U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,697 to Brice.
When hot drinks are made in a microwave oven, the beverage bag usually floats to the top and does not receive the desirable action of water molecules travelling through it. It thus must steep for several minutes for sufficient taste to develop. Therefore, it is especially important in the age of the microwave oven to have a beverage bag which brews a cup of cofee quickly. Such a beverage bag should have supports and a flotation structure which causes it to remain completely immersed in the cup. It should also provide for the escape of gases from the bag. It should also offer a sealed storage chamber which holds the beverage substance until use to insure freshness in a chamber which does not allow chemical reactions between the bag material and the beverage substance during storage is desirable.
There is no known beverage bag assembly with a supporting device which incorporates a flotation ring and gas escape vents in the cap or storage chamber, is easily assembled, is disposable and is particularly adaptable for use in a microwave oven.